Murphy puts off DGA meeting for snow – Politico
Good Monday morning!
Gov. Phil Murphy’s big trip to San Francisco to become chairman of the Democratic Governors Association had to be put on hold to deal with the snowstorm.
The idea that the governor would fly to California while the state was about to get some snow was politically unpalatable, especially after the state whiffed its response to the November 2018 snowstorm.
One thing I’ve learned about covering New Jersey politics is that it really doesn’t matter whether the governor’s presence in the state would make a difference in terms of the response. New Jerseyans want their governor here during a storm.
It’s a lesson that Gov. Christie learned early on, when he took his family to Disney World as a big snowstorm socked the state. (Maybe he was counting on expired good will from Hurricane Sandy when he at first refused to return to the state in 2016 after South Jersey residents suffered some post-blizzard flooding.)
If New Jerseyans are miserable, then their governor better be miserable, too.
TIPS: mfriedman@politico.com
QUOTE OF THE DAY: “It’s pretty clear, with hindsight, that was about him… And for me, this is about Jersey.” — Gov. Phil Murphy comparing his upcoming time as DGA chairman to Christie’s time as RGA chairman
WHERE’S MURPHY? — Doing a few TV and radio appearances this morning, then holding a snow storm press conference in Ewing at 11 am.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY — Former Christie staffer Kelly Klass
NATION’S GOVERNORS DECLARE STATES OF EMERGENCY TO PREPARE FOR TORRENT OF BAD DAD JOKES — “Murphy prepares for a national role in Trump’s re-election year, but says he will keep his focus on N.J.” by NJ Advance Medai’s Brent Johnson and Matt Arco: “Gov. Phil Murphy will travel to San Francisco … to become head of the Democratic Governors Association, a job that will require him to travel around the country over the next year to help members of his party win governors races in nearly a dozen states … It’s a similar position to the one his predecessor in New Jersey, former Gov. Chris Christie, held in 2014, when he trekked tens of thousands of miles as chairman of the Republican Governors Association. Christie visited 36 states and raised an unprecedented amounts of campaign cash for the group, and that helped him cement key relationships within the national GOP and launch his bid for the presidency, which ultimately failed. It also meant Christie spent all or part of 148 days away from the state he was elected to govern — which, along with the fallout of the George Washington Bridge lane-closure scandal, helped plunge his job approval ratings among Jerseyans to record lows. But as he prepares to take over as DGA chair on Tuesday, Murphy insists his tenure will be different than Christie’s RGA term.”
YES, WE’RE STILL TALKING ABOUT THIS — State police review of Altman ouster won’t be made public, by POLITICO’s Matt Friedman: A review into why activist Sue Altman was forcibly removed from a Senate committee hearing last week by New Jersey state troopers won’t be made public, a spokesperson for the Department of Law and Public Safety said Wednesday. “The New Jersey State Police is reviewing the November 18 incident at the Statehouse, as typically occurs whenever the agency receives an allegation regarding a Trooper’s conduct,” the spokesperson, Sharon Lauchaire, said in a statement. “State Police is conducting this review according to its Internal Affairs policy and, as per standard practice, the results of such a review are not made public.” … Lauchaire said that “based on concerns raised over the past few weeks,” the state police and Attorney General’s office are conducting a separate review of security procedures at the Statehouse to “ensure the safety and security of the Statehouse and all employees and visitors.”
A GOOD WAY TO AVOID THIS IS TO NOT TOLERATE OR COVER UP SEXUAL ABUSE EPIDEMICS — “N.J. prepares for wave of sex-abuse lawsuits as window opens extending victims’ right to sue,” by NJ Advance Media’s Jeremy Roebuck: “Major institutions across New Jersey, including the Catholic Church and the Boy Scouts of America, are bracing for what could be a torrent of lawsuits as a new law goes into effect Dec. 1 offering adult victims of childhood sexual abuse extended opportunities to sue. The measure, signed by Gov. Phil Murphy in May, extends the state’s statute of limitations for sex-abuse lawsuits and opens a temporary, two-year window to file suit based on previously expired claims. The reprieve for what in some cases are decades-old allegations could leave defendants ranging from religious institutions to public and private schools facing significant financial strain. Already the Catholic Church is girding for the impact. Over the last year, New Jersey’s bishops have sold off property, bolstered their insurance policies, and encouraged victims to accept financial settlements from specially launched compensation funds in anticipation of the law.”
—“New accuser names former Cardinal McCarrick as dozens of lawsuits are filed under NJ law”
EDUCATION — “Black kids in N.J. schools are suspended at a higher rate than white kids, data shows,” by NJ Advance Media’s Disha Raychaudhuri and J. Dale Shoemaker: “Black student have been disciplined more harshly than their white peers in New Jersey schools, federal data shows, despite studies demonstrating they don’t misbehave at higher rates. Now state lawmakers say they want to investigate school disciplinary practices in New Jersey, which ranks 16th among states with the highest racial disparities. Black students make up just 16 percent of the Garden State’s student population, but they received 44 percent of suspensions in the 2013-2014 school year, the most recent period for which data was available … The measure, advanced by the Assembly Education Committee earlier this month, would create a 10-person task force to ‘analyze the effectiveness’ of the status quo in school discipline and determine whether they were contributing to racial imbalance.”
—“Billions in tax breaks should go to smaller companies not to mega-projects, critics say”
—“NJ to impose new penalties for drunken driving starting Dec. 1: What you need to know”
—Stile: “NJ’s top political turkeys of 2019: 10 racist tweets, anti-Semitic slurs and scandals”
—Lesniak: “Both conservatives and progressives agree on this criminal justice reform”
—Mulshine: “High-cost, high-tax New Jersey is no place for old men – or old women”
—Cantor: “Electric consumers shouldn’t have to pay for the expansion of electric vehicles”
—“Shark fin soup may soon be illegal in New Jersey. It’s now up to Murphy”
SUPER PACS ARE SO 2010. 2019 IS ALL ABOUT THE LACKLUSTER PAC — Super PAC backing Booker will shut down, by POLITICO’s Maggie Severns: A super PAC created to back Sen. Cory Booker’s bid for president will shut down, its operator said Wednesday, after Booker denounced super PACs and donors showed little interest. The PAC, called Dream United, was created almost a year ago by Steve Phillips, a Democratic donor and activist who helped raise money for high-profile black candidates, including Barack Obama and Stacey Abrams. Story Continued Below But this year high-dollar donors did not want to support a Booker super PAC, Phillips said in a statement on Wednesday. Dream United filed only one disclosure with the Federal Election Commission, which showed the group raising $1.1 million from a handful of donors, with Phillips’ wife, Susan Sandler, contributing the bulk of the money. “I have traveled across the country meeting with dozens of Cory Booker supporters, and it is clear to me that the donor community is strictly adhering to Senator Booker’s publicly articulated wishes that he does not welcome independent support (a position he re-articulated just this month),” Phillips said.
—“Booker super PAC to air new Iowa ads comparing senator with the ‘other Rhodes Scholar mayor’,” by CNN’s Rebecca Buck: “He’s a Rhodes Scholar. A successful mayor. A uniter,” says the narrator in a new television ad set to air in Iowa. But the ad, which will begin airing Tuesday in Des Moines and Cedar Rapids, does not describe South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg. ‘No, not that guy,’ the narrator says, as an image of Buttigieg flashes on screen. ‘It’s Cory Booker.’ … The ad is being bankrolled by United We Win, a super PAC that plans to spend $1 million to help Booker qualify for the December debate”
—“Booker airs his 1st campaign ad as he seeks to make the December debate stage”
KINGS AND QUEENS WERE IMPEACHED? — “‘Unsavory,’ not impeachable: NJ Democrat explains why he opposes removing Trump,” by USA Today’s Ledyard King: “Amid glossy photos of prominent politicians adorning Democratic Congressman Jefferson Van Drew’s Capitol Hill office is a framed picture of him with Donald Trump. It’s from 2008 when Van Drew was a state senator and the future president visited Atlantic City to christen the Chairman Tower at the Trump Taj Mahal. Both are wearing business suits, red ties and smiles … While he considers the president’s actions regarding Ukraine as ‘unsavory,’ the congressman said he has yet to learn of anything that would persuade him Trump did something to warrant removal from office. No president has ever been removed from office, Van Drew, 66, points out. And to have a ‘small, elite group’ of lawmakers do so when an election is less than a year away seems to him to be not only unfathomable, but un-American. ‘To some folks that’s reminiscent of what was done to kings and queens many years ago,’ he said. ‘Everything our country doesn’t stand for.’”
BURNING BRIGIDS — “How Van Drew navigates impeachment,” by Micah Rasmussen for New Jersey Globe: “Our representatives take their cues from their constituents; at least that’s how it’s supposed to work. That’s why it’s puzzling that Van Drew is coming under attack by Montclair professor Brigid Harrison at the exact time his cautious approach is looking more prescient by the day. Van Drew has enjoyed a highly successful career of representing a part of the state that frequently votes Republican. His constituents know they can count on him not to throw bombs from either side of the partisan divide—he has staked his reputation on reaching across the aisle, as he quite literally did to greet President Trump at this year’s State of the Union address … That’s not all Harrison got wrong about Van Drew.”
—“I need help”: Cory Booker appeals for donations to keep 2020 campaign afloat”
HOMELESSNESS — “NYC sends homeless to live in illegal rentals in N.J. One town is trying to stop it,” by WNYC’s Karen Yi: “2,226 homeless families from New York City… were relocated by Mayor Bill de Blasio’s administration to 62 New Jersey towns with a full-year’s worth of rent paid up front, numbers show. The controversial program, which rolled out in 2017, is meant to curb NYC’s homeless crisis by helping working families find permanent housing across the country, including in New York City. But New Jersey housing advocates say the special one-time assistance program takes families away from their support network when they are relocated outside NYC — providing a temporary solution and exporting the problem to other states. Too often families live under poor housing conditions, unable to leverage monthly rent in exchange for repairs, advocates say. In some cases, they end up back on the street. ‘When rent runs out, they have nowhere to go and now that they’re in New Jersey, they’re New Jersey’s issue,’ said Yvette Gibbons, executive director of the Essex County Legal Aid Association. ‘They are being set up to fail.’”
YOU WON’T HAVE NIXON TO KICK AROUND ANYMORE — “Jackson council president, defendant in antisemitism lawsuit, quits post,” by The Asbury Park Press’ Mike Davis: “Council President Rob Nixon resigned from his council post on Tuesday, a year short of completing his second term on the council. Nixon, 48, announced his resignation at the Nov. 26 council meeting, citing ‘personal and professional opportunities ahead of me that simply require my full attention and they must become the priority in my life.’ Nixon works as a lobbyist, mostly representing the New Jersey Policemen’s Benevolent Association, and serves as chairman of the New Jersey Schools Development Authority … It was Nixon who specifically authored a township ordinance that required landlords to file an annual registration in order to hold them responsible when illegal apartments and dormitories. ‘Ensuring a high quality of life benefits everyone. Period,’ Nixon said. ‘And on that point, I will never back down.’ But ‘quality of life’ has often been identified by Orthodox Jewish advocates as a mask meant to cover actions they deemed anti-Semitic.”
HAMILTON — “After tumultuous year in a big N.J. town, a new mayor will take the reins,” by NJ Advance Media’s Olivia Rizzo: “After a tumultuous year and election cycle, Democrat Jeff Martin will be the next mayor of one of New Jersey’s largest towns. Hamilton, a township of about 88,000, has been rocked over the past year by several issues, including quality concerns with the water the town buys from Trenton Water Works, the controversial ongoing attempt to consolidate Hamilton’s fire departments, and a state investigation of the animal shelter, which resulted in charges being filed against two township employees.”
THE THIN BLUE LIE — “NJ cop gets slap on wrist in DWI-fixing case, tries to get back pay,” by NJ 101.5’s Sergio Bichao: “A [Rockaway] township police officer avoided going to prison after being charged with trying to get his cousin’s DWI ticket dismissed. But he won’t be getting back pay for the years he was suspended. A three-judge panel this week rejected Clifton Gautheir’s appeal of a Civil Service Commission denial of his back pay. Gautheir was suspended without pay in January 2014 after being charged in 2012 with second-degree official misconduct and third-degree witness tampering. Prosecutors said Gautheir called the state trooper who had issued his cousin a drunk driving ticket in 2011. Gautheir told the trooper that he did not need to show up in court because the municipal prosecutor was resolving the case, officials said. But when the trooper called the prosecutor to confirm, they learned that Gautheir had lied, officials said. If Gautheir had been convicted of the second-degree corruption charge he would have been sentenced to a mandatory five years in prison with no chance of parole. Instead, he copped a sweetheart deal that did not require him to plead guilty to a lesser charge”
— “Somerset County freeholders won’t take action on RVCC trustee Felecia Nace”
—“Paterson approves $4M in sewer bonds amid billing controversy”
—“A former South Jersey mayor wants to help children impacted by addiction”
—“As Newark rises, Black residents fear being pushed out”
—“Seaside Heights could borrow $3M to help pay for carousel pavilion”
—“Inglesino considering bid for Morris GOP chairman”
—NY Post: “New Jersey’s centuries-old blue laws are hurting revenue, job prospects”
—“Wild parrots escaped into [Edgewater] 30 years ago and they never left”
THE NEXT TUITION HIKE WILL BE EVEN MORE REAL — “This time it’s real! Greg Schiano returns as Rutgers coach after miraculous reversal,” by NJ Advance Media’s Keith Sargeant, James Kratch and Steve Politi: “After a week of pandemonium in Piscataway, turbulence in Trenton, bedlam among boosters and flak from fans, Greg Schiano is coming home — and this time, it’s for real. Rutgers’ most successful football coach will return to New Jersey in an attempt to resurrect the program he took to six bowl games in his final seven seasons, a person with knowledge of the deal told NJ Advance Media … The deal, reached six days after talks originally broke down, brings a conclusion to the wildest week in Rutgers sports history. After the first round of negotiations collapsed last Sunday and Schiano withdrew his name from consideration, relentless pressure from boosters, fans, former players and politicians forced Rutgers back to the table to get a deal done — as the sports world wondered how Rutgers could have blown this layup in the first place … The initial failed courtship sparked intense interest in Trenton, with Gov. Phil Murphy intervening while two former governors, Chris Christie and Richard Codey, publicly sparred over Schiano. Murphy elbowed his way into the talks to iron out details and financing for facilities upgrades — a sticking point on which Schiano would not relent.”
—“As Schiano returns, Murphy says this is a ‘new era’ for Rutgers football”
LYFT GRIFT — “Lyft hasn’t paid us minimum wage or overtime, drivers claim in class action suit,” by NJ Advance Media’s Sophie Nieto-Munoz: “On the heels of legislation that could upend the growing ‘gig economy’ and affect ridesharing companies, a class action lawsuit has been filed in New Jersey alleging that Lyft has not properly compensated its workers and continuously violates how it classifies its drivers. The complaint, filed in U.S. District Court in New Jersey, claims the San-Francisco-based ridesharing company failed to pay minimum wage, did not pay overtime and did not reimburse business expenses. Lyft also violated labor laws by intentionally misclassifying its workers to skirt around paying workers minimum wage and overtime, the complaint filed Nov. 21 reads.”
PROPOSAL WOULD RENAME THE RARITAN THE CRIMEA RIVER — “Ukrainian community thrives in Central Jersey,” by The Courier-News’ Cheryl Makin: “After listening to the impeachment hearings earlier this month, many Americans were wondering why Ukraine is so important. It’s the mission of the Ukrainian History and Education Center (UHEC) on Davidson Avenue to tell Americans why they should care about what happens in Ukraine … Central Jersey has one of the largest Ukrainian communities in the Garden State.”
R.I.P — “State Police chaplain, head of Red Bank Catholic High School dies”
